Five weeks and counting to Thame Food Festival

WITH just five weeks to go to the Thame Food Festival, and The Big Thame Bake, the ‘Plethora of Baking Genius Judges (Lottie Duncan quote!), time is running out fast to enter. Go to http://www.thamefoodfestival.co.uk/the-big-thame-bake-2016/ and check out the rules and the 12 tasty categories, and get practicing for the big day! Enter now and you could win a Kitchen Aid Mixer for your stunning bakes and cakes!

Great British Bake Off 2015 winner, Nadiya Hussain

The festival organisers will soon be taking bookings on the website for this year’s, brand new Wine Workshops with Wine Guru, Jerome Harlington, upstairs at Christchurch on the day, to pitch David against Goliath in the English vs Champagne taste off!

“The quality of English Sparkling Wine is now so impressive that we think it’s about time we gave Champagne a run for it’s money!” said Lotte Duncan, Patron, Non-exective Director and evet co-ordinator of the festival. “We have a line up of outstanding English Sparkling wines to pitch against some quality Champagne contenders.”

Thame Food Festival’s headliner on the brand spanking, new BIG THAME BAKING STAGE is last year’s winner of the Great British Bake Off, Nadiya Hussain.  Lotte said: “We are chuffed to bits that we’ve managed to secure her appearance – she has captured the nation’s hearts, and I know she’ll capture yours on the day! We have so many wonderful bakers on the stage – Richard Bertinet, Benoit Blin, Richard Bertinet, Will Torrent, Richard Burr, Miranda Gore Browne and Chetna Makan.”

If you join Lotte Duncan at the stage at 2.15pm, you can see her interview them, and you get to ask them some questions and hear how the programme has changed their lives.

For the AGA CHEF’S STAGE, Raymond Blanc is back! – the Festival Ambassador from just down the road at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. He’ll be on the stage at 2.30pm shortly after his boys (Adam and Mark) fight it out in the annual cook off with Aylesbury College – always great fun and a chance to heckle!
Masterchef Champion ,Natalie Coleman, will be first up on the AGA stage, cooking with the winners of the local school cooking competition.

Festival regulars, the Caldesis, Dave Mooney and Sophie Grigson will also be featured as well as, for her second year, Lucie Greenwood from The Milk Shed, Weston on the Green, and for their first year, Alex Mackay and Chris Wheeler. “It’s going to be fabulous!” Added Lotte.

Want a book signed? Then walk over to the Pop Up Bookshop by the Baking Stage, care of The Book House in Thame. All your favourites will be on sale there and you can get them personally signed by the festival’s cooking superstars.

And of course – the main reason it’s called a Food Festival – over 200 artisan food producers lining up in the historic High Street of Thame. A Pop Up Pub in amongst them, some music and plenty of seating so you can soak up the atmosphere, have a drink and eat some outstanding and delicious food – all sampled and vetted by TFF HQ – “It’s a terrible job, but someone has to take one for the team!” concluded Lotte.